A/N: Hey everyone!! I am extremely sorry it's taken me practically forever to update!! I just get major writer's block, and then I had to move all my work from my dad's computer to my new laptop (which isn't so new). But anyways, it's Labor Day weekend and I've found time to finish this pesky chapter! Thank you for your patience, faithful, friendly readers, for you will be rewarded! This is the continuation of chapter three!! Enjoy!!
Behind the Mask
Episode 3. (Continued)
The Titans and Adam Isle were in the surveillance room (A/N: I couldn't think of the name of the room for the last chapter... 'monitor room'... what was I thinking?), waiting to see who would come out from Adam's office. "Look! The door's opening!" Cyborg announced. Everyone, including Isle, moved closer to the screen. Everyone gasped when the perpetrator's identity was revealed.
"I can't believe it!" Isle replied in awe.
"But I can!" Raven said, crossing her arms.
Beast Boy entered the doors of the local police station. An officer approached him and extended his right hand. "Beast Boy." The changleing took hold of the officer's hand and shook it firmly. "Dude." He greeted. "So, uh, where do I go from here?" The officer pointed to a chubby man in the corner who had a set of keys. "He'll take you to her cell."
Beast Boy followed the chubby guard through a maze of corridors before finally reaching metallic doors. The guard unlocked the door and let Beast Boy pass. "You've got ten minutes." The guard instructed. Beast Boy stopped and turned back to the guard. "This won't take long. Make it five." And he walked forward towards the iron cell. Inside was a familiar blonde haired girl lying on the lumpy mattress watching the ceiling fan twirl with her big blue eyes.
"By the looks of it, old habits die hard." The changeling muttered outside her prison cell. Terra, recognizing the voice, got up quickly from her bed and met eye to eye with him. "Beast Boy, I can explain!"
"Save it!" Beast Boy barked.
Terra grabbed the iron bars that held her captive. "Could you at least give me a chance and hear me out?"
"I've given you too many chances, and I've heard just about everything!" Beast Boy shot back. "Slade wants more information on the Titans, and I just so happen to be making tapes for my new reality show. It wouldn't be hard for you to break into your father's office and steal the tapes for Slade. That was your plan, wasn't it?"
"It's not my plan! It's my dad's!!" Terra exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" He asked interested in her previous statement.
"It all started yesterday," Terra began. "I overheard my father on the phone with someone. I don't know who, but he did say one thing: that he was never planning on making the Teen Titans reality show! I think it was all a set-up, and that Adam was gonna give the tapes to Slade!"
"I don't think you're in any position to be making those assumptions." Beast Boy remarked.
"Fine, but those were my dad's exact words." Terra rephrased.
"But why would your father do that? What's his and Slade's connection?"
"No idea." The girl replied pulling back a strand of hair from her eyes.
Beast Boy was now pacing the floor. "And so you broke into his office and stole the tapes... if not for Slade, then why did you take them? Were you plotting your own revenge against us? ... 'cause dude, that would be so wrong!"
"Of course not!" Terra replied offended. "I took the tapes to give to you so I could stop my dad. But when I opened the drawer where he kept the tapes, I found it empty! I figured I was too late and that Slade had already gotten the tapes from Adam!"
The shape-shifter's brow furrowed. "The drawer was empty?? So you don't know who took them??" Terra shook her head. "It only makes sense that Adam took your tapes and covered it up by blaming me."
"None of this makes sense!" Beast Boy said, rubbing his chin. "I mean, sure, it sounds like something Slade would do, but those tapes had nothing on our weaknesses! What would he want them for?"
Terra's hands tightened on the bars. "There are different kinds of weaknesses, Beast Boy." Before he could ask what she meant, the guard came in at the moment. "Your five minutes are up."
Robin and Starfire were in his room on his bed. Robin sat up against the backboard while Starfire lay in his arms. "Robin, do you think Terra gave the tapes to Slade?"
"Honestly, it's hard to tell," He replied, stroking her hair. "The evidence makes it seem that way. What do you think?"
Starfire shrugged. "I am not certain. Terra claims that she no longer works with Slade and that she has changed, but the facts prove otherwise. I do not know what to believe anymore." There was a pause until she added, "Do you think we are in danger?" The Tamaranian asked. "I'd protect you." Robin replied as he kissed her temple, making her purr. Beast Boy knocked on his door. "Duuude!! It's BB!! Get out here!! I got info on Terra!!"
Robin and Starfire got up off the bed, and before Robin could apologize for the interruption, the alien girl put a finger on his lips. "It is okay Robin! Go with Beast Boy!" Robin put his hands on her tiny waist and leaned his forehead on hers. "What if I don't wanna go?" He whispered. Starfire giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Robin! Beast Boy is not one to be patient." Robin kissed her lips. "Let him wait!" He said, kissing her again. She slid her hands down his chest and grabbed his hands from her waist. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you will return!" And she kissed his cheek before he left the room.
"So what did you find out?" Robin asked his teammate as he entered the computer room. (A/N: Do they have a computer room?? lol... who cares?? It's my story anyways!!)(A/N: Gosh, I'm sooo rebellious! I made up my own room! Watch out for me! I'm a rule-breaker!! Oooh!! lol, I'm hyper!)
"They aren't known facts, but it's all on here." Beast Boy responded as he took out a tape recorder. "She claims her dad set her up." He tossed the Boy Wonder the tape recorder. "There are different kinds of weaknesses?" Robin asked as he heard Beast Boy and Terra's conversation. "Hey, don't ask me!"
"I think it's time we ran that background check on Mr. Isle." Robin concluded as he typed a few things on his computer while Beast Boy hovered over him. They ran a search under Adam Isle in the police files and couldn't find anything criminal about the man.
"Dude," Beast Boy declared. "This guy's clean!"
"Another unusual case of law abiding citizen, don't you think?" Robin raised a brow as he printed out the bizarre criminal record. Robin clicked on a link to the Jump City birth certificates and found Isle's certificate. "Looks like he was born and raised in Jump City..." Robin said as he printed the certificate. "And it looks like our background check on Mr. Isle has come to a close." The changeling sighed. He was about to click out of the program when Robin noticed a link to another name. "Beast Boy! Stop!" Beast Boy let go of the mouse and let Robin do what he had to. "Tony McCormick??" Robin pressed the link and there came another birth certificate. "Who's he?" Asked Beast Boy. Robin shrugged. "I have no idea."
They printed out Tony McCormick's birth certificate as well and compared it to Isle's. "They have nothing in common." Beast Boy muttered. Robin pointed out their birthdays. "They were born on the same month, same day, and same year, but McCormick was born in Gotham City." He got back on the computer and tried hacking into the Gotham police files, but they were unsuccessful. Robin leaned back on his chair defeated.
"This sucks!" Beast Boy sighed. "We can't get into Gotham's system!"
"But I know someone who can!" Robin exclaimed, reassuring his teammate.
It was a cloudy evening and Robin was out on the rooftop of the Titan Tower Headquarters, waiting for his informant to come with the needed information. He glanced at his watch. 11:37 PM. 'C'mon! He shoulda been here by now!' Robin thought impatiently. He looked up to the sky and saw a large black bat...
"Sorry I'm late." Batman apologized, however his voice couldn't have been any more unapologetic.
"Fashionably late isn't quite your style." Robin smirked.
"Joker's been up to his old tricks again." (A/N: That was for you, AntimatterManticore!!) The veteran hero continued, now pulling out a manila folder. "The information you needed." Robin took the folder from his old colleague and looked over the paperwork. "Anthony McCormick was a shady character in Gotham." Batman continued.
"Was?" Robin asked. Batman pulled out a copy of the coroner's report from the paperwork and handed it to his former protégé. "He died a little over a year ago." Batman explained. "So what's the significance of all this information on someone who's been dead for a year now?"
"Because he's back!" Robin replied. "He faked his death, and he's back as Adam Isle!"
Batman raised a brow. "Leukemia isn't something you can fake."
Robin looked at the picture of Tony McCormick. He had a dark complexion, black hair, and rugged features. It was safe to say he was the total opposite of Adam Isle, and Robin had no idea where to go from there. "I don't get it, Bruce. What's the connection?"
Robin was reviewing the information Batman had given him. "Tony McCormick's mother passed away when only he and his brother were four. She died from Leukemia, too." He looked through more paperwork and found a newspaper article. Tony McCormick's Business Scandal?? read the headliner. Beneath it read, President of company is accused of embezzling corporate funds. Are the rumors true?? Robin wiped the sweat off his forehead when there came a knock at the door. "Maybe I enter?" A sweet familiar voice asked.
"Come in!" Robin called from his desk.
Starfire entered. "Robin, it is nearly one in the morning. Please get some rest."
"I won't rest until I figure this out!"
"And what exactly are you trying to 'figure out'?"
Robin opened the manila folder. Starfire scanned through the papers as Robin explained to her, "An informant came to me this evening with this information on Tony McCormick." Starfire raised a brow. "But what does this Tony McCormick have anything to do with Slade and Adam Isle?" Robin sighed. "That's what I'm trying to find out."
"Perhaps Tony McCormick and Adam Isle were business partners?"
"It's possible." Robin nodded as he continued to look over the information.
"Do you require any more of my assistance?" Robin looked over at the alien girl, her hand now on the door knob. "Get some sleep, Star. Tomorrow will be a busy day for all of us." Starfire nodded before exiting.
The next morning, everyone woke up early and met in the living room. Robin cleared his throat. "As you all know, Terra's in jail..."
"Where she belongs!" Raven muttered under her breath.
"...For 'stealing' Beast Boy's tapes. She claims her dad set her up. Beast Boy and I ran a background check on Isle last night, and we found Tony McCormick, a former criminal, linked with Isle."
"Literally," Beast Boy added.
"An informant stopped by for a visit on our rooftop last night and gave me some info on Tony McCormick." At that time, Beast Boy was handing out copies of the information Batman gave Robin that night to the other Titans. "He also gave me passwords and such to hack into Gotham files." He paused for a moment as the Titans looked over the information. "These are your assignments!"
Starfire was viewing the paperwork in the kitchen. "How's it coming along, Star?" The Caped Crusader's ex side-kick asked. "I still cannot find a bond between Tony McCormick and Adam Isle." Robin put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Keep at it!" And he left her alone. Starfire smiled to herself, now putting a hand on the spot where Robin kissed her. Being with Robin felt so... surreal. She would only imagine what it would be like to hold him and kiss him. She touched her lips. 'Did our lips really touch one another's?' She thought. 'I have kissed them thousands of times in my dreams. It is so hard to know what is real or fantasy anymore.'
Suddenly, the alarm went off.
Everyone gathered to the living room. "Trouble!" Beast Boy announced.
"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious!" Raven snapped, rolling her eyes. Cyborg smirked.
"The scanners are picking up Slade's robots." Robin said as he looked at the computer screen. The Titans looked at the giant screen. There were dozens of red dots all across the city. "Uh, dude, what are those red dot thingies??" Beast Boy asked.
"Slade's robots!" Robin said, his eyes going wide.
"They are everywhere!" Starfire declared.
Robin turned to his teammates. "Raven, you take the East Side, Beast Boy take west. Starfire you take north and Cyborg and I will handle downtown!" Everyone split and went their separate ways.
Robin and Cyborg made their way downtown. Immediately the two went into combat with the robots. "BB, how you doing?" Cyborg spoke into his right arm after destroying another robot. The green Tyrannosaurus morphed back into human. Beast Boy spat out metal from his mouth. "Probably worse than you and Bird-Boy!"
"Raven! Talk to me!" Robin said to his walkie-talkie after judo-chopping the heck out of another robot. "Um, my robots are leaving..." Raven watched as the robots ran away. "What??" Robin asked.
"Uh, dude!" Beast Boy said to Cyborg. "Where are my robots going?" Cyborg and Robin looked around and found their robot's missing, too. "Cyborg, check the radar!" Robin ordered. "I'm on it!" Cyborg pressed a few digits on his arm and there was a mini-map on the screen. The red dots from the east and west sides and downtown were on the move. "Where are they going?" Robin asked. The half-human half-robot's human eye went wide. "BB, Rae, they're heading for the north side! Cut them off! Rob and I will me you there!"
Robin's eyes went wide. 'No... they're after Starfire...'
Meanwhile, Starfire was fighting off robots in the north side area. She threw beams from her eyes and hands. "Starfire! Starfire, can you hear me??" The Boy Wonder's voice came from her walkie-talkie. "One moment, please!" Starfire responded before destroying three more robots. "Robin! The robots are numerous!"
"Starfire, get out of there!" Robin said from the walkie-talkie as he traveled by motorcycle. "They're after you!!" He heard a struggle in the background. "Can you hear me??" He heard the Tamaranian cry out in pain. "Starfire? Starfire!" He now heard nothing but static.
Robin's eyes went wide and he stopped his motorcycle, realizing he was too late. "No..."
Adam Isle was sitting at his office desk, once again working on paperwork. "Hey Adam!" James Fuentes greeted as he stood outside his coworker's office door. "Morning, James." Isle replied, looking up from his work for a second to say hello.
"May I sit down?"
"Sure." Isle replied, not looking up from his paperwork.
Fuentes scratched his head. "So, um, how're you doing?"
"Just great, James!" Isle replied sarcastically. "The daughter I adopted has taken up the art of thievery. Makes a father proud!" Fuentes sighed. "I'm sorry, Adam."
"You shouldn't be." Isle said emotionless.
"I'm serious!" Fuentes sighed. "I mean, this is my fault! None of this would have happened if it weren't for my brilliant ideas! I was the one who suggested you adopt Terra. I was the one who said you should consider making the Teen Titans reality show!"
"Don't worry, James! The show will premiere behind schedule. So what? We'll recover!" Isle looked up from his paperwork. "You're probably the best friend I have. Don't go blaming yourself 'cause I'm certainly not pointing fingers at you!" Fuentes nodded. "You know, Adam, you're not such a bad friend yourself. Are we still on for lunch?" Isle nodded. "Yup." And Fuentes left his office.
Isle got up from his desk and shut the door and locked it. He sat down behind his office desk and took off his glasses. He grabbed his blonde hair and pulled it off, revealing ebony hair. His hands went from his scalp to his face. He peeled off the pale skin, exposing his olive complexion. With his fingers, he traced his cleft chin and high cheek bones. Now he looked nothing like Adam Isle.
Now he looked like Tony McCormick.
A/N: Yay! Complete! I hope ya'll are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Ahhh!! So mysterious!!
This story has more than just two genres: This is your action/adventure/romance/humor/suspense story. SUSPENSE included!! I would like to remind everyone (old reviewers and new) to please try not to guess what will happen in future chapters!
I would also like to define the term "flame"!
flame(v): a type of review at that is not necessarily a good review which can be insulting or constructive.
Example of using the term in a sentence: KioraEyes prefers you use constructive criticism when "flaming" her stories at
Thank you!
MOOgoestheCHICKEN: Actually, I have four or five homes in Texas. I'd rather not say where I'm currently residing because I'm paranoid like that... but I have family that lives in Arlington... however, I haven't been there since I was six...
Well, ta-ta for now! I will update ASAP!!
-kiki
PS, Wow!! That was a SUPER LONG author's note! Please review!!